27/01/2011 President
PACE President warns against rise of intolerance towards those considered ‘different’
In his speech at a commemoration ceremony on the occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day held at the Council of Europe today, the PACE President Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu stressed the importance of the event “to keep alive the memory of millions of innocent victims”.
“All forms of intolerance towards those considered ‘different’ are on the rise again – be it anti-Semitism, Islamophobia or racism and xenophobia in general. Ethnic, religious or cultural differences between people are being artificially exacerbated and manipulated in political discourse, to divert attention from the real problems and real solutions. Politicians and parties reverting to such discourse have now been democratically elected in many national parliaments,” the PACE President warned.
He also announced his participation on 1 February in a visit to Auschwitz, organised by UNESCO, the City of Paris and the Aladdin Project, a foundation promoting better understanding between Jews and Muslims.